The woman stared at him blankly. Completely confused to understand what he meant.
"I want to improvise a burner to make alchemical pills."He pulled the boss lady from the dark.
"I thought you said you wanted to cook?"She asked and looked a bit suspicious.
"I'll use the stove for that, but the pills first..."He calmly said with his hands clasped behind him.
"I'll check if I have metal scraps. I'll be right back..."She said and turned on her heels to walk out of the kitchen. Still, her nightgown revealed her figure to Conan's reflective eyes as though she wore nothing at all.
This fact was oblivious to the woman and it's not like Conan could intentionally dim his extraordinary eyesight. Although it would have been different if she wore normal outfits.
"...But to think you know alchemy?"She mumbled as she walked out. She noticed Conan's gaze but didn't care.
Nor did seeing such things gaze Conan. With the boss lady gone, he inspected the kitchen more closely.
There was a small dining table situated not far from the stove. Although small, it was enough to accommodate a family of four.
A casket-like object on the side of the stove and also backing the wall just like the stove. It was erect and humming. Conan could feel that the insides were cold, and it was also running on spiritual energy but instead of being curious, he was stunned.
Embalming a corpse in the kitchen? Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen the woman's husband. Could it be that her husband was dead but due to her love for him, she refused to let his corpse go and embalmed it in a mechanical casket that generated cod and runs on spirit crystals?
But then again, what if she wasn't married?
He didn't want to think about it. His mind strangely felt tired but every vein in his body continued to pulsate with vigor. He quivered slightly and feared that he was losing control over his body.
His heart was pulsating so much but it was silent. It was disturbing but still, he ignored it and continued to check the kitchen.
A cabinet filled with utensils was hung above the mechanical stove and was drawn out horizontally. Conan laughed. Not because the plates are awfully clean and neatly sequenced. But because of the number of knives that filled a designed part of the cabinet.
If a rare someone with metal attributed spirit came across this kitchen, then they won't be scared of lacking weapons or weapons running out anytime soon.
He chuckled at the thought. He still thinking like a cultivator. Old habits never leave. Honestly, he was surprised that the world he knew had changed so much.
But it only made sense given how many years he spent in isolation. And the fact that mortal races don't seem to be able to access spiritual energy independently without the help of the gods anymore.
As he waited, he took in the sight of the sink and a weird object above it. It seemed fragile so he didn't want to break it. He ignored it.
The window was just above it and was opened. He drew closer and took in the breathtaking distant stars. Their colors are boldly expressed by the night. A chaotic cloud of colors bedded these stars and rays of dim light saved the denizens from absolute darkness.
The sound of the door clicking took him out of his reverie. His mind felt relaxed a little bit. He turned around and saw the woman carrying a carton full of scraps and she looked out of breath.
He quickly helped the woman with a carton that was full of metal scraps and helped her out down the baggage. "You should be sleeping now. I'm disturbing you aren't I?"
The boss lady breathed out sharply from the weight she had carried. She waved her hand reassuringly "It's fine. Senia couldn't sleep for the fear of the Goose Creeds creeping on her at night, so decided to stay up with her."
"Alright," Conan said and started checking out the scraps. Setting apart those that he deems useful from the rest.
The boss lady was curious but didn't question anymore. Although it took almost all her willpower to stop herself from asking. She turned and left to tend to Senia.
Conan was now alone. He placed his danger on his forehead and felt it throbbing and cold. He never felt like this for a long time.
He fitted out the metal scraps the ones with curved shapes and also cords. He took out an inscriber, a brush-like object with a pointed tip and pattern-infested shaft.
He infused the inscriber with his spiritual energy, then he started inscribing spirit codes. After inscribing intricately the parts he collected, he started assembling them.
The parts with incomplete but relative spirit codes attracted each other and merged, completing the codes and becoming one.
He created three rings; An outer ring, a Middle ring, and the innermost ring. The rings were connected by cords. Each rings with attribute filtering spirit codes.
He constructed a burner. The burner had a chimney at the end and an attribute filter at the center. The chimney would be responsible for dispelling the attributes in his spiritual energy, while the burner brings out the purified energy as a spirit flame.
Then he dressed the whole mechanism with steel plates and gave it a pyramid shape—with a square base and flat square top with a hole in which the burner could be seen.
He etched spirit codes on the surface and dug a few holes on one side of the pyramid and etched absorption codes on the edges. He used metal cords to connect the rings with the holes he dug in the pyramid body to allow the passage of spiritual energy.
He completed the brazier with etching reinforcement spirit code array, the reason being that the metal was not of the best quality and would not stand the energy surge.
But with the reinforcement array, it would work. At least to make two pills and a potion before it blows up to smithereens.
He used the rest of the scraps to make a tripod stand in which the pyramid brazier was mounted. He cast a subtle glance in the direction of the door and found Senia looking at him blankly.
"Woah... Are you a mechanic?"She asked with gleams of admiration in her eyes.
"No, I'm not..."Conan subtly replied and proceeded to caress the smooth body of the improvised brazier.
Senia tilted her head to the side, letting her hair gravitate as she scratched her neck in curiosity " artisan mechanic?"
Conan sighed internally. He should have said yes earlier. He also wanted to tell the lady to get something to wear as her presence seemed to agitate his body.
But she was in her apartment. She had the right to be naked—if he hadn't intruded. Not like he felt bad for that.
"Yes..."He answered.
Senia came towards him. Perhaps, she was bored. He could hear the sounds of rushing water so she was lonely, hence he decided not to chase her away so as not to worsen her emotional health.
"Shouldn't you be asleep?"He asked her as she took her place beside him. He on the other hand was etching arrays of spirit codes on the brazier.
She stayed silent for a while, watching him before speaking "I couldn't sleep. I'm scared..."
"S-sorry..."Conan muttered softly. But his voice quivered.
Senia picked up the oddity expressed in his voice and looked at him closely. His hands were quivering and so was his face twitching ever so slightly.
Something was wrong with him, but what was wrong she couldn't figure out. She leaned forward, her slender arm slipped out of the clothing covering her body, and went towards his
Her hand hadn't reached halfway to touching him before his hand like a blur took his wrist in an iron grip. She winced not only from the pain but also from the hotness of his palm. And her body was doing nothing but conducting the heat he was radiating.
She gulp and flushed. He turned his head toward her ever so slowly and his eyes met hers. His eyelids were reddened and his obsidian eyes seemed to have lost their reflectiveness.
His grip tightened on her hands ever slowly and so did her heart quicken its pace. She became frightened by not his handsomeness but the sudden iniquitous vibe he gave off.
As she crumbled under his gaze, the reflectiveness of his eyes came back and the iniquitous aura around him vanish as though it was an illusion.
His grip left her wrist and he continued with his improvising.
She shook, awkwardly in her seat and took back her hand. "Are you okay?"
"Mild fever. It's nothing."He replied curtly with undivided attention from his work.
"Take care..."She muttered. Still remembering his lifeless and murderous gaze, she trembled. She considered it an illusion on seeing how the aura vanished and was replaced with a friendly one.
Perhaps she was still traumatized from the kidnap? She nodded. That'll be the very best reason for it.
However, Conan knew the reason. It was his heart pumping blood so much that every part of his body began to tremble.
It got amplified when Senia came close. The urge to get to do something. To give in to his bodily craves.
To kill, to lust, to harbor suffering; To commit iniquities. The urge to tend to his heart desires.
Conan sighed. As an old existence, he should be resting, even if he's powerful. Being in a mortal form only brought him more problems than benefits.
His Heart, spirit, and soul are unstable due to the habits, memories, and stress that had accumulated over the years.
His body was about to deviate. He can feel it. All he can do was abstain from violence and make sure to rest. Even his mortal life is bound to be boring.
He completed inscribing and caressed the body of the brazier with a smile of fulfillment. It was not that smooth or perfect but will at least work for what he wanted.
Senia watched with curiosity and seemed to be in dilemma. Wondering if she should speak out or not.